"I liked the fact that I could leave my house and I could be at school quicker than driving," he said. "There was no looking around for a parking spot on campus."

Hughes said the bike lanes the city has established, mostly on the city's east side, have helped to make the city more bike-friendly. But he said more lanes need to be designated to create connections across the city.

"It's piecemeal right now," he said. "It's starting to come together, but there's a lot more to do."

Don Hughes, a scientist with the Onondaga Environmental Institute, does his part to lead green by riding his bike to work nearly every day. Video by Steven J. Pallone (2:06).